Emirates: Preferred Employer in UAE
 

Hi all
There are alot of people reading the posts on EK who are contemplating of whether to sign up or not(hold pool and future applicants). So I would like to start a threat which would summarise working conditions at EK. If you currently work for EK then please respond to the following question:

Are you happy/unhappy at EK and state the top 3 reasons in brief.

Thanks and hope to get a good response with information that would make the "To Join EK or not" decision a bit easier!

Fly Safe

Beech

There are no working conditions that can be relied on.
Emirates management remove, reduce and alter conditions as it takes their whim.
Be warned, the contract you sign means nothing. The enforcement of conditons of the contract is a one way street. Contract breaches by the company appear to be unchallengeable by the employee.
The companies HR department believe they have the right to alter manuals that you normally don't have access to, changing the complete meaning of (or simply ignoring) the wording of the contract you and they signed.
Heaven help you though, if you choose not to honour the conditions of the contract you signed, if and when it doesn't suit you e.g. Training bond!

I, as many have done in the past give the strongest warning against anyone applying to, or joining Emirates in the future.

Unfortunately, Emirates is kidding itself if they think this is a world class airline. Emirates has become no more than a glorified kindergarden. Both the Pilot, and Cabin Crew bodies are treated with such disrespect, and lack of regard when at the end of the day we are the face and backbone of the company.

The Management of Emirates is the most pathetic excuse of a group who are destroying the Airline simply because they have no clue, or experience on how to effectively motivate, and actually manage the employees, or the business. It seems that when they read about "ruling with an iron fist" on the cereal box, or in the fortune cookie it must have seemed like a good idea.

And last, but certainly not least....... if you write, and sign your name to an agreement, contract or set of terms and conditions then bloody well stick to them. This is the first and most important rule in business and life. You have got give some respect in order to get some repect.

I think the game is up EK, and it's going bite you hard in the ass in the very near future.

Sadly, kiwi is pretty close to the mark. It would seem to me that someone towards the top at EK saw the global economic downturn as a very convenient opportunity to screw down the working conditions of the pilot group to what they would call a more realistic level. The pilots are perceived from above to be underworked and overpaid.

They (he?) concluded that, as has happened many times before for EK, other airlines laying pilots off would ensure a ready supply of pilots eager to come to Dubai, while that same downturn would stop what had become more than a trickle of pilots leaving EK for greener pastures. This (pilots leaving) was something that, until a few years ago, was almost unheard of at EK, and it has only been over the last three or so years that EK have had trouble attracting more than sufficient applicants with relatively high experience levels, many of whom have widebody time.

This is not to say they've always given said applicants credit for their previous experience after they've netted them. The employment of large numbers of direct entry captains, too many of whom very few people would consider suitable for the job, has had a huge impact on morale among the First Officers, especially when you consider the experience levels of many of the First Officers already in the company. (I hasten to say that this does not apply to all the DECs they've employed. However some, whilst experienced captains, were without any experience of Third World/ETOPS operations and have had a learning curve that is well beyond 'steep'.)

To make this situation worse, just when the company started to employ such people, to save costs, they pared training down to a shadow of what it once had been.

I think it would be true to say the DEC programme has had a similar effect on the morale of some of the captains, for with the large increase in DECs came what looked to me to be a deliberate policy from above to lower pilots' expectations and to lower the status of captain to the point that few now are under any illusions that they are seen by management as anything more than a necessary evil.

In short? While comments I have heard and seen here would suggest the situation is almost certainly far worse at other Middle East airlines, making EK still the best option of all the airlines in the area, the EK pilots are not a bunch of happy campers, and I'd have to agree with other comments made on other threads - come here only if you don't have a job already.

The really sad fact is that the people responsible for this sad state have it in their power to change most of these shortcomings, make the pilot group happy again and probably save themselves money in doing so. However, they don't see it that way and don’t seem likely to change their opinions until forced to do so.

Agree with all the above
 

It seems that EK management have been running the airline successfully by default of economic timing.

Now with a 180 in the market, they seem to have come to a halt with ideas on how to run the business, and have turned to look within to try and prove they are still managing. They are completely distracted, or mores the point, trying to distract themselves from the harsh realities of the outside world

It's not too dissimilar when asking the Audi driver to turn the AC on.
Before you ask, he is (un)consciously looking ahead, but still going with the flow.
When you ask, he turns to look you in the eye and asks you to repeat your request, all the while traversing several lanes at a time, and attempting to kill all on board.

It seems neither can do both at the same time.

halas

Beechjock,
whoever I talk to on the line is unhappy, be it Captain of FO, me included. Don´t come here!!!
You wanted 3 reasons? I give you even more:

1. The contract you sign is worth sh:mad:t, EK doesn´t honor ANYTHING in your contract and keeps on changing whatever they like (but not to the better...)

2. You don´t have any rights! You are just a driver, dare to object to any of the contract breaches and stick out your head, EK will chop it off in a second.

3. You work your a:mad: off for peanuts. The package isn´t good or competitive anymore, prices in Dubai went through the roof the last couple of years, but EK is cutting back on your salary, so you end up with far less money than before.

4. Do one tiny mistake and you are fired. EK doesn´t give a rat´s ar:mad:e about you or your family or how many years you have been working hard and loyally for them, you are just a burden to them and they do management by terror.

EK used to be a great airline, sadly since about 2 or 3 years, since the talking horse and TCAS took control, it went downhill faster than you could even think.

So again: Don´t come here if you can avoid it, it is just not worth anymore!!!

After all these years
 

I’ve been with the airline for almost 20 years. Although every once in awhile something comes up which drives me to distraction, in the main things have continued to go very well. The pay comes in regularly. Except for this (unusual) year there has been a pay rise every year. I have been treated extremely well throughout my career here.
I consider myself fortunate. I enjoy my job, I like the airline, and I like Dubai. I doubt that I am the only one.

Yes, I agree with you dubaibound. Anyone who has been here at Emirates for 20 years probably doesn't have much of a gripe. I would imagine anyone who has been in Dubai for 20 years has probably lost touch with the real world.

But even so, even someone who has enjoyed the best of EK should still be able to appreciate how badly this company has treated it's employees in the past couple of years.

Even EK's biggest fan should be able to admit to how bad things have become.
Time to get real.

I have to admit that when I saw the user name new to Pprune dubaibound has chosen, I was unkind enough to think that "Bound to Dubai" might have been a more apt name.

I have to agree with him that on the whole, the company has treated me well over the years. However, even someone with double rose-tinted glasses would be hard-pressed to have missed what appears to have been an official change in attitude towards staff by EK senior management over the last three years or so.

Preferred employer?

:yuk:

Think that sums it up

Only 1 positive and lots of negative responses so far.... Hmmm leaning on the "not preferred" side right now..

Thanks alot for the replies and keep it coming!

Regards

Beech

All these cuts when the company still made almost half a billion dollars in profit!!!!! What fun we can expect if they make a loss.

Seems not that long ago we got three weeks profit share and a pat on the back when we made $250million. How things change when greed takes over.

I also find it kind of funny that a list of frequently asked questions are attached to the letter stating that our contract is now null and void with regards water and elec. hmmmmm... who asked these questions frequently? Since this was the first anyone was to know about it. The same simpletons that came up with the plan? I truely hope they enjoy the bonus they get by creating these savings. Glad they made it retrospective as well by pro rating the cap!!!!!:=

I do hope that Emirates lists all the employees by name, that have donated money to next years bottom line by being caught in this fiasco, on next years profit statement. Will make quite a long list I should imagine.

Don

Ek
 

All I can say, Its not the best time to join us.

As many have said, Its not what it used to be.:(

Between the company and area of the world it is based in, there is little to recommend Emirates to anyone currently employed. It has been interesting, to say the least. The dishonest, disrespectful, hypocritical, paternalistic approach taken by the management would take your breath away except for the fact that when it happens as often as it has in the last several months you begin to become numb to it.

I'm at the point where it frankly amuses me as I'm prepared for any and all outcomes including leaving with NO alternatives back home. So for now just sitting tight and enjoying the show. But I have no respect and no patience for anyone who joins now after sifting through these forums and thereafter complaining once they joined that they had no idea what these clowns are about.

Greed and lies. That's it, that's all.

I loved EK when I joined in the good days. The sky was the limit, management was competent, work security bullet proof and quality of life in Dubai was phenomenal. A 4 bedroom villa went for AED 40000.-- with rent increases unheard of. Traffic? What traffic? Free parking everywhere. Great clubs, cheap and phantastic restaurants. Awesome beaches (remember Chicago beach?), lots of activities for next to nothing. Every crisis was an opportunity. Dot com bust, 9/11, Afghanistan, Gulf War 2.0, SARS, bird flu ... EK just kept growing stronger. Boy did we have an 'espirit de'corps'! About 2003 the downward slide began, just about when the real estate frenzy took off. Slowly, hardly noticeable at first. 2007 it accelerated. By now EK and Dubai are free falling in every aspect that matters.
If you are out of a job and desperate you might still join. Its highly speculative though. Something got to give. Soon. And then its either back to the old days (the potential is still there and I still have hope) ... or else.

Nowhere is.

The glory days of aviation disappeared at the same time as Pan Am

Yeah the good times finished when the LCC started.... not sure if that coincides with the time Pan Am went belly up!

Well I think you and everyone else should just about get the picture now.
Unless you have no job don't even think about it.
You have all been warned yet again but alas some of you I'm sure know better and will still come and will be screaming from the rafters about how you have been screwed.:mad:

the airline is only 24 years!! just say how many years uve been working for them...... u make sound like its been there for ages....

And your point is???:ugh::ugh::ugh: